Victim Support NI

10/08/2026

We are so excited to share the design of our Corporate Strategy for 2025-2030!

Our new corporate strategy, From Harm to Help to Hope: Balancing the Scales, Supporting Your Justice Journey, reflects the journey many victims and witnesses take following the impact of crime and our commitment to supporting them every step of the way.

The new design captures the themes of recovery, resilience, empowerment and hope that underpin our strategy, while reflecting the trauma-informed approach that shapes how we plan, deliver and evaluate our services.

We are incredibly proud of this next chapter for Victim Support NI and look forward to working with partners, staff, volunteers and service users to turn this vision into reality.

07/08/2026

Our Policy and Communications Manager Lucy Fitzgerald spoke to William Crawley on BBC Radio Ulster Talkback yesterday regarding the Men's Alliance NI's call for a refuge to be made available for male victims of domestic violence in Northern Ireland.

You can listen back to the interview here from 42:38: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002zswp

Victim Support NI would encourage any male victim of domestic abuse who is in need of support to contact us. We offer a free and confidential service, whether or not a crime has been reported and regardless of how long ago the event took place.

You can contact us from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday on the phone numbers below. Alternatively, you can email either our Belfast or Foyle offices.

Belfast phone number: 02890 243133
Foyle phone number: 02871 370086
Belfast office email: [email protected]
Foyle office email: [email protected]

William Crawley debates challenging issues and talks to the people making the headlines.

06/08/2026

Victim blaming can make it harder for people to speak out, seek support, and begin to recover.

Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, believed without judgement, and supported with compassion.

The responsibility for a crime or harmful act always rests with the person who committed it.

It's not your fault.

05/08/2026

Last week we responded to the Department of Justice's consultation on proposals for criminal legal aid fees for solicitors and barristers relating to the introduction of the new committal process, Direct Committal.

You can read our response on our website:

04/08/2026

Unfortunately, we experienced a technical issue with our phonelines this afternoon between 2:15pm and 4:30pm. This issue has now been resolved, but we would encourage anyone who wasn't able to reach us during that period to call us back on 02890 243133 and leave a voicemail. We will then be able to reach out to you and provide you with the support you need.

Please note that during the COVID-19 Lockdown in the UK, our Witness Service is currently unavailable due to court closure to the public. If you are a member of the public and are called to court, the current advice is that you should not attend. Our Witness Service offices are based in criminal cou...

03/08/2026

Research Internship Opportunity!

Victim Support NI is recruiting a Research Intern to join our Policy and Communications team for a six-month placement beginning in September 2026.

This is an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in policy and research within Northern Ireland's criminal justice sector. The successful candidate will contribute to focus groups, policy research, consultation responses, service evaluations, and stakeholder briefings that support victims and witnesses of crime.

We are particularly interested in hearing from students and recent graduates in Law, Criminology, Politics, Sociology, Psychology, or related disciplines.

Hours: 2-3 days per week
Start Date: 7 September 2026
Expenses: Travel and lunch expenses covered

Deadline for applications: Friday 14 August at 4.00pm

You can find out more about the internship on our website: https://www.victimsupportni.com/2026/08/03/research-internship/

To apply, please send your CV and cover letter to [email protected]

31/07/2026

We're sharing F.O.U.R behaviours that can help you of stalking.

Stalking is fixated, obsessive, unwanted and repeated behaviour that makes you feel harassed.

It includes behaviour that happens two or more times, directed at or towards you by another person, which causes you to feel alarmed or distressed or to fear violence may be used against you.

Recognising the signs is an important first step. Victim Support Ni is here to offer free, confidential support across Northern Ireland.

29/07/2026

Thank you to everyone who came to visit our stall at Pride Village Belfast last Saturday!! 🌈

It was wonderful to meet so many people and have the opportunity to share information about the support our Victim Support and Hate Crime Advocacy Service teams provide to victims and witnesses of crime. Thank you for helping make it such a positive day!!

27/07/2026

We were delighted to welcome the Justice Minister to our Belfast office last week to learn more about Journey to Recovery, our six-month pilot project supporting victims and survivors of crime beyond their involvement with the criminal justice system.

The project has demonstrated the importance of trauma-informed, person-centred support in helping people rebuild confidence, reduce isolation and move forward with their recovery, regardless of the outcome of their case. We hope the evidence and outcomes from this pilot will help secure Journey to Recovery as a permanent part of Victim Support NI's services, ensuring victims continue to receive support when they need it most.

24/07/2026